


Malcolm Bright One-shots

by Kannedt



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Cute, Developing Relationship, F/M, Murder Mystery, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:26:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21789004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kannedt/pseuds/Kannedt
Summary: Mystery, Murder, Investigation, Drama, Love. All things that seem to follow the prodigal son everywhere.Lots of whump and Dani+Malcolm
Relationships: Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright & Edrisa Tanaka, Malcolm Bright & Jessica Whitly, Malcolm Bright & Original Female Character(s), Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	1. Not Alone Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this. This first one-shot will be in 5 parts or more.

Dani groaned as memories rushed back to her.

She was following a lead, a potentially dangerous one, which was the reason she had planned to go alone, not wanting anyone else to get hurt if it came down to that, and of course Malcolm saw through her and insisted on coming, but he's a profiler so it was kind of expected when he insisted on going, giving her the side-eye to let her know she wasn't winning this one. They drove to a facility of some sort and immediately found themselves chasing after someone who ran when they saw the car pull up. Dani told Malcolm to wait in the car, but expectantly he followed her. In Dani's mind, he was too much of an idiot to care for his own life. Next thing she knew, everything went black. 

When her mind finally started functioning normally again her surroundings started to become more clear. She was in a pitch-black room but, she could feel she was tied to a metal chair, but not alone. Another pair of hands was tied to hers. "Bright? Bright? Gosh, darn it Bright wake up!" "No, " a low groan resided from the other side of the chair. "What happened?" He asked. "I don't remember. We were following a-" she cut herself off. "Someone's coming." Light through a small window dimly lit the room revealing two large pillars that supported the ceiling, but besides that the room was empty. The door suddenly burst open. A man with a white, pointed beard and circular glasses came in, humming a toon and wheeling a small metal cart with a black pocket bag on it. He seemed as if he didn't know there was anyone else in the room until he unfolded the bag and pulled out a knife. "Ah. You are awake. Both of you. Good. This should be fun. Now I do not want to have too much fun. We want to save the good stuff for tomorrow." "Who are you?" Dani asked as she tried to calm her breathing when he came closer with the knife, inspecting her skin. "What does it matter? You will not have a mind to think with by the end of tomorrow. But by all means, put it to use before it is gone." "You killed Mara White?" Malcolm asked, analyzing the man from what he could hear but not see because he was on the opposite side of the chairs, back to back with Dani. "Did I?" The man replied. "Ah, now this is not a bad place to start." Dani closed her eyes and drew her head back as far from the knife as possible, eventually laying her head on Malcolm's back, but it was no use. The man carefully placed the knife on her upper cheekbone and drove it down, aligned with the shape of her cheek. Dani tried her best to hold back a scream, a whimper, anything, but when she made no noise the man drove it deeper into her skin making her cry out in pain. A smile spread across the man's face as he took pleasure from her pain. Warm blood trickled down her neck and Malcolm held her hand as she let out another whimper of pain. The man then dragged the knife across her chest making an X. Dani groaned and squeezed Malcolm's hand for comfort. The man went back to his cart, cleaned off the knife, and walked to Malcolm's side of the chair. "Oh yes. The prodigal son. I have been waiting for a long time for this moment." Malcolm quickly observed the man from head to toe while the man did the same to Malcolm, looking for the "perfect place" to start cutting. "This will do." He lifted his knife to the exact same place he had cut Dani on her left cheekbone and dragged the knife down in a perfectly symmetrical line. Malcolm winced but distracted himself from the pain by conducting an analysis in his mind, deducting possibilities of who this man was. 

But when Malcolm didn't show signs of pain, the man blew out a frustrated puff of air and began to use his knife to pop the three top buttons of his shirt off and started to deeply carve into his chest. Malcolm groaned and let out a few yells of pain, but he did his best to hide any signs of it, though his eyes were quickly watering up. 

"That will do for today. I can assure you that you will be more compliant tomorrow." The man returned to his knife bag and carefully cleaned his valued knife then placed it carefully back into the bag and wheeled the cart out. "Have a good night," he said, flicking the light off again. 

When his figure was no longer seen in the hallway the light flicked off and they were once again in complete darkness. 

"Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?" Dani asked in concern, knowing the man did a lot more to Malcolm than he had to her. "Yeah. I'm fine." "Your lying, " Dani said flatly. But Malcolm ignored her and started to fill her in on everything he knew so far. "He's a sadist, takes pleasure in inflicting pain, but in this rare case, not sexual pleasure. He just likes it, wants to see more of it. He definitely has OCD from the way he talked to the way he cut. He didn't use contractions in his speech, making every word articulate and overly clear, he had to clean his knife after using it once, and he made sure he cut in perfectly symmetrical lines. He couldn't decide where to cut and took plenty of time to think, but eventually decided on the exact spot he cut you. Which shows he's new to this. He doesn't know where he likes to cut, but he knows that spot above the cheekbone is his favorite, maybe that's an indication he thinks he's doing this for someone. A copycat of some sort. A fan. He's also part Italian. One parent Italian, but the other American. He doesn't speak Italian fluently, because those who do generally have an accent, therefore he grew up in the states. And we would have to assume from what I said earlier that Mara White was his first victim. He took great pride in his first victim from the way his tone changed when I asked if he had killed her." "Right. Of course, you were analyzing him while he was cutting the living daylights out of you." She rolled her eyes. "But you did miss something." "What was it?" Malcolm asked, like a young child eager for candy. "When he left, he told us what time of day it was, which means..." Her voice trailed off for a second as she began to fiddle with the ropes. "-we have time." Malcolm began to catch on and twisted his hands in the ropes as he worked at Dani's ropes and she worked at his. 

It was a long process but after an hour of untying and tugging the ropes, Dani's hands finally came undone. "Oh thank God," she said as she rubbed her wrists she quickly undid the ropes that were tied along her waist and turned around to finish Malcolm's ropes, which came undone after another 10 minutes. 

Malcolm rubbed his wrists then reached his hands out to find Dani. "I'm right here," she said taking his hands in hers. He sighed and fell into her embrace. "Are you alright?" She asked again, still concerned about him. "I'm great." Dani scoffed. "A great mess." She pulled back from the hug and slowly led him through the darkness to sit down against one of the pillars. "I guess we wait now, " she sighed as they both sat down and she laid her head on his shoulder. "We should probably have a plan." "Yeah, yeah, " Dani yawned, trying to keep herself from drifting. "I'm pretty sure the light in the hallway is automatic so we can no when he's coming. We can both stand on either side of the door and hit him with the folding chairs, or- Dani?" "Hmm? Sorry. Yeah. That's good." Malcolm chuckled. "Go to sleep." "But we have to stay awake." "No, I have to stay awake." "Are you sure?" Dani asked, her eyes flickering shut. "Yeah," Malcolm whispered. "Okay, " she whispered back before falling asleep. 

Malcolm struggled to keep himself awake. But he knew if he fell asleep he'd be engulfed by a relentless, angry memory. 

Dani's head eventually fell into his lap and he began to brush his hand through her hair. He had a feeling in his stomach he hadn't gotten before and he wasn't sure if it was the fact they were about to take on a serial killer alone or if it was Dani. Just Dani. 

Malcolm let her sleep for what he thought was an estimated four more hours, then he gently shook her awake. Dani groaned sleepily and slowly sat up. "What is it?" She whispered without realizing there was no reason to whisper. "We should probably stand by the door now, he could come soon." "Yeah, okay." They took the two folding chairs and stood on the opposite sides of the door. Dani closed her eyes mentally preparing herself and Malcolm could feel her tension. "You good?" "Yeah, yeah. Although I could really use one of your creepy lollipops." Malcolm laughed. 

It felt like another hour before the light in the hallway finally came on, shining through the small, circular window on the door. 

"Bright!" Dani called. Malcolm jerked his head up and lifted the folding chair above his shoulder and Dani did the same. Their hearts were pounding in their chests as the doorknob twisted. The man slowly walked in, flipped the switch on, and opened his mouth to say something, but when he saw they were gone a sudden panic entered his eyes.

"Now!" Dani yelled. They quickly slammed the folding chairs into the man and Dani fell back from the sudden impact. She shuffled to her feet and found the man collapsed on the floor. "Is he-" "I don't know." Dani cautiously approached the man, putting a finger to his neck, but it all happened so fast neither of them could have stopped it. The man pulled a knife out from under his leg and Malcolm wanted to move, to stop it, but his body was frozen in place. Dani tried to stop the knife, but it was too late. The knife dug into her abdomen and she let out a cry of pain as she fell back against the wall. Her breaths became deeper and it felt as if a weight was on her chest. 

Malcolm wanted to run to Dani, to help her and undo what had happened, but the man charged at him next, determined to win the fight. Malcolm dodged him and grabbed his hand, twisting it until he couldn't grasp the knife. He dropped his arm and quickly kneed him in the stomach and slammed him headfirst into the wall, finally making him blackout. "Dani!" He rushed to her side and lifted her head to his lap. "Mal-Malcolm," Dani's lungs managed to rasp. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here. You're okay. We're okay." He sat there for a minute, trying to compose himself as he inhaled a deep breath. "Dani, " he said softly. "I need you to stand up." Dani nodded breathlessly. Malcolm wrapped his arms around her waist and she winced as he lifted her up. He took one last reassuring look at the unconscious man on the floor, with newfound hate gleaming in his eyes. He helped her down the hall, up a flight of stairs, and finally into a kitchen, before she cried out in pain and nearly collapsed to the floor. "Malcolm," she panted. "I-I can't keep going. Go without me." "I'm not leaving you, Dani." "Malcolm." She grabbed his hand firmly. "Go." Malcolm sadly smiled down at her. "Stay awake for me, okay? Just a few more minutes." Dani shook her head even though she knew she couldn't hold on much longer. 

Malcolm searched the entire house up and down for a phone and finally found one in a dusty, dark bedroom. His hands trembled as he quickly dialed Gil. "Who is this?" Gil's voice firmly questioned. "Gil." "Kid."

Dani's vision went fuzzy and her head felt weightless as if she drifted away on a cloud. Her body went cold and she began to lose all feeling. 

Lights were blurry, her head suddenly became heavy again and a searing pain rang throughout her whole body. There were voices her mind struggled to hold on to.

"Hear my heartbeat?" She could scarcely make out Malcolm's voice. "Just focus on that." "She's going to be alright kid." "Just hold on Dani." It's going tooooobeeee fiiiinnne." The voices slurred and slowly dissipated again.


	2. Not Alone Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos and comments! <3

It felt as if her lungs were filled with water. She choked for breath and began to panic when she couldn't find it. 

"Hey, it's okay. You're fine, " Malcolm tried to comfort her as she attempted to rip the oxygen cords from her nostrils. He pressed the red button to call for help and almost immediately a nurse who knew him all too well entered the room. "You're not calling for more lollipops are you?" Malcolm laughed. "Not this time, no. But is it possible to get her off the oxygen?" "I'll send a doctor in to see what we can do." "Thanks." Malcolm brought his attention back to Dani who was still having a slight fit, obviously irritated from all the drugs she was under. "Bright?" "Mmm?" He answered still holding her wrist to keep her from pulling on the cords and IV. "Can I get some vodka?" Malcolm choked in surprise. "What?" He chuckled. "Vodka?" "No. No vodka Dani." "Please?" "No." "But I neeeed vodka." "Okay, fine, " Malcolm played. "I'll get you some vodka." He grabbed the water bottle from the side table, carefully opened the cap, and handed it to her. She eagerly took it from him, eyes half-closed and took a sip. "That's not as strong as I remember, but I like it. Thank you. I hope I will always remember this moment when Malcolm Bright gave me vodka in a hospital. "Trust me you won't remember anything, " he laughed. 

Eventually, a doctor came in and removed the oxygen cord making it more comfortable and easier to breathe for Dani. Every now and then a nurse would come in and squeeze the IV bag to make sure Dani had a proper dose of whatever was in there. Because once the drugs wore off, it would hurt like h*ll. 

Gil knocked lightly on the door before entering. "Did she wake up yet?" Gil asked, handing Malcolm an Earl Grey tea latte. "Yeah. When she woke up she wanted vodka, but I don't remember ever being served vodka in the hospital so we stuck with water." Gil laughed glancing at Dani with a look of guilt. "It's not your fault Gil, " Malcolm said, easily reading the man he grew to love so much as a father. "I know. I know." "Did you get the guy?" "Yeah, they're bringing him in for questioning, I just wanted to stop by to check on you." "Can I go Gi?." "You know d*mn well what would happen if I brought you in there," Gil said giving him a look. "And it's not just you. If it were the other way around I wouldn't take anyone who is emotionally invested in something like this. There should be a policy for that." Malcolm nodded, but his hands began to shake uncontrollably again and it didn't go unnoticed. "Malcolm." "It's fine. I'm fine." "Did you ever get your cuts checked out?" "No. I was here with Dani, but I'll be fine." Gil looked at him with concern, but Malcolm seemed to be somewhere else. "Alright kid. Well, take care of yourself and hey, at least try to follow the one lollipop per patient rule." Malcolm smiled and waited for Gil to leave before he jumped to his feet and began pacing the room in a frenzy. He closed his eyes bringing himself back to the darkroom, straining his brain to remember every detail that had happened that night and every little thing he may have missed. He then proceeded to his visit to his father, he wasn't quite sure why but his mind was constantly begging him to go back there. It was 48 hours before Dani and he had gone to the warehouse and were knocked out. 

They entered the building, the guards had them empty their pockets into a locker, they were then escorted down multiple halls that Malcolm was all too familiar with. Dani had taken his hand when she saw how tense he was getting. They entered through many locked doors before finally stopping at the door that led to his father's too nice to be prison, cell. The guard opened the door and Martin Whitly stood up, but then the memory abruptly stopped, his mind not wanting him to go on. "What am I missing?" He whispered. The same scene playing over multiple times in his head. 

"Of course! Of course!" Malcolm yelled like a kid who had solved a puzzle. "The security guard." He laughed in disgust. "Of course." 

He ran out of the room and down the hall to the office where he kindly took over one of the nurse's computers. "Mr. Bright? What are you doing now?" Asked a plump African-American nurse who knew him so very well. "Shirley! It's nice to see you again." "It's not nice to see you and I told you not to call me that, " she said, putting a hand on her hip. Malcolm smiled but didn't take his eyes off the screen. "That's what your name tag says, isn't it?" He asked innocently as he stalled for time. "Yes, but only my favorite, obedient patients get to use it and you are neither today. Now, what the heck are you doing on a staff member's computer? And how did you get in without a password?" "The passwords fluffybunny343," Malcolm answered with a slight smirk playing on his lips as he enjoyed testing the lady's patience. "How did you-" "Her desk is covered in bunnies and her favorite number is 3 and 4 because she couldn't pick. I study psychopaths remember?" "Very funny. Margret is kind and just as much of a psychopath as you are, " Shirley answered defensively. "That's what I'm saying, " Malcolm chuckled. "Mr. Bright-" 

"Aha!" He screamed in victory, spinning the desk chair around. "I knew it! Jason Esposito! A copycat of a copycat!" Malcolm quickly hurried back to the room, but not before giving Shirley a kiss on the cheek. "You're the best as always Shirley." "I know."

Malcolm grabbed his phone and wallet off the side table and took one last glance at Dani before running off to call down a taxi. 

"He's on his way over Gil, " Shirley said before hanging up the phone and shaking her head at the nonsense that boy got her into. 

"Gil, I know what your gonna say-" Malcolm started as he saw Gil waiting for him. "-but just hear me out okay?" Gil sighed. "I have no idea how your mother raised you." "Easy answer, " Malcolm said flatly. "She didn't. You and Jackie did." Gil scoffed. "Trying to butter me up?" "No. I just want you to listen, that's all." "Fine, but if you try to get anywhere near that door I will have you escorted back to your house and have a guard placed at your door." Malcolm put his hands up in defense. "Deal. He's not talking right?" He asked Gil who nodded, not in the slightest surprised that Malcolm had already figured it all out. He then started his whole spiel. 

"He's a psychopath, a sadist, and stubborn. Because he's a psychopath he doesn't care about the consequences of his actions, but because he's stubborn he's not going to give himself away and give you the satisfaction of putting a murderer away. He sees us as objects he can use for his own benefit, but if we look at this at another angle, trick his brain into thinking we already know everything and have enough evidence then he'll give in and eventually slip up." "Okay, " Gil answered, giving it a thought. "What do you suggest we do?" "You need to use suggestibility interrogation methods. Give everything to him that he already knows." "Yeah, but how when we don't know anything?" 

"Who said we know nothing?" Malcolm grinned mischievously. "Of course you do." 


	3. Not Alone Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy and leave a comment. It helps to motivate me! :-)

Malcolm was surprised when Gil let him watch from behind the one-way mirror. 

As he looked through the glass at the tanned man, it seemed as if he was staring into his eyes, as if Jason Esposito could see Malcolm standing there. A smirk formed on the man's face and goosebumps formed on Malcolm's neck.   
He jumped when Gil walked into the room.   
"Hey, kid. How are you holding up?" "I'm fine." Gil glanced down at Malcolm's hands which were shaking vigorously and he quickly shoved them in the pockets of his coat. Gil looked into Malcolm's eyes but didn't press the topic knowing Malcolm would come to him if he needed to talk.   
"Okay. We're going to get started now." Malcolm nodded in response and turned back to the glass. A few moments later JT and Gil entered the interrogation room. "Jason Esposito. 47 years old. Tortured and killed Mara White and attempted to kill two of our team members-" JT began. Gil began to speak next but Malcolm's mind drifted off. Back to the room, to Dani. Dani. Malcolm felt a sudden urge to go back to the hospital, to make sure she didn't wake up alone. But he wanted to see this man put away. Far away from him and Dani. When Malcolm's attention finally came back to the scene behind the glass, two officers were removing Jason Esposito from the room. Malcolm's heart began to beat at a rapid pace. He stepped out of the room as the man was escorted past him by two officers Malcolm recognized.   
The man stopped in front of Malcolm. "Let me see it." He whispered. Malcolm knew what he was talking about. The words he had carved into his chest. "Let me see it!" The man yelled, a glint in his eyes. He tried to hold back knowing that was probably what the man wanted, but nevertheless, he kicked the man in the balls. "That was for Dani, " he sneered. The man hunched over and groaned, but then began to laugh. "Get him out of here!" Gil yelled to the officers and they pulled him away. He grabbed Malcolm by the arm and dragged him outside. "Are you okay?" "Fine." "Good. What the h*ll were you thinking?" "I'm sorry Gil. I tried not to." "That could jeopardize the whole case." "It wasn't on video. He most likely can't use it against us." Gil opened his mouth to speak again, but Malcolm interrupted. "I have to go, " he said, walking away to find a taxi. "Malcolm. Malcolm!" Gil sighed and buried his hands in his face. 

When Malcolm got back to Dani's room he was relieved and worried that Dani was still asleep. He took a seat in the chair next to her bed and sighed closing his eyes for a few moments before he had to open them again, haunted by unwanted"demons"

"Malcolm?" A groan resided from the bed. "Dani, " Malcolm sat up. "Hey. Where's Gil?" "He's at the station. They arrested Jason Esposito." "Who?" "The man who stabbed you." "Oh. I think I'm acquainted with him, but we only met for a brief second." Malcolm chuckled and Dani smiled, but her expression quickly changed. "Are you alright?" "Don't worry about me. I'm fine." "Right. But when is Malcolm Bright ever not fine, " she said, reading him like an open book. "Can I see it?" She nearly whispered. "You don't want to. Just cuts." "Don't lie to me Bright." "Bright again?" He questioned. "Malcolm, " she pressed. He sighed, defeated. He shrugged off his coat and pulled open his shirt where Esposito had cut the buttons off. Dani didn't seem fazed, as if she had expected it. Across Malcolm's chest was carved, prodigal son. She reached out to touch it and Malcolm winced pulling back. "Cold. Your hands are cold." "Sure, " Dani chuckled. She reached for the red help button before Malcolm could stop her. "What are you doing?" Malcolm asked anxiously. "Getting help for you, because I know you won't yourself. " "I don't need-" "More lollipops?" Shirley interrupted. Dani chuckled. "Not this time." "Oh, you're awake darling. Is he bothering you? I can have security here in a second. Might do us all a favor." "Malcolm rolled his eyes and Dani laughed. "No, but I'd like a nurse to look at the cuts on his chest." Shirley glanced at Malcolm. "How am I not surprised?" Shirley put a hand on her hip. "I knew you were lying when you said you had no cuts." "Come with me, " she ordered Malcolm. He looked at Dani and she nodded to follow her. So he reluctantly left the room. 

Dani changed into a new pair of clothes JT had left for her earlier, ignoring the sharp pain in her abdomen. She quickly went to the front desk to discharge herself from the hospital and glanced back with a feeling of guilt than quickly left the hospital. 

She knew exactly where she was going. 

She snuck into the NYPD station and tried to use her computer without getting caught but it didn't go as planned. 

"What the h*ll are you doing here?" JT exclaimed. "I was discharged." "Dani, " he said knowingly. "I'm sorry JT I just need-" He suddenly pulled her into a hug. "I was worried about you, " he said. "I'm glad you found us." He nodded. "Now what are you doing?" "JT, I need the address of the place Bright and I were held." "You know d*mn well I can't do that," he said looking around anxiously. "Please, I have to, " she pleaded. JT sighed. "Fine, but promise me you'll be careful." "I promise. Thank you."


	4. Not Alone Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last part to Not Alone! Enjoy! 
> 
> (Next One-Shot coming soon!)

When the nurse had finished cleaning Malcolm's wounds she let him go, but when he returned to the room he found it empty. His first instinct was to freak out and call Gil, but he had a feeling he might know where Dani went. He quickly texted Gil, Pick us up in an hour at the bungalow. 

Then he waved down a taxi and got in. "Where to?" 

As the taxi pulled up Dani's blood ran cold and after paying the taxi driver she slowly approached the small, deteriorating bungalow. The door was busted from Gil, JT, and the swat team bursting through almost 24 hours ago and yellow caution tape tried to block off the entry. Dani ducked under the tape and took in a shaky breath as she took in the area around her. The air inside was icy and piercing to the skin. Dani's teeth were chattering and her body shaking, but she didn't know if it was because she was cold or scared. She eventually reached a bedroom which was a mess. It had papers, clothes, and books everywhere and the outdated telephone was tangled together on the floor. She slowly realized what had happened when Malcolm left her and she fell out of consciousness.   
She continued to the kitchen where the stairs to the basement were. There was a big puddle of blood at the top where she had told Malcolm to leave her, and a trail the rest of the way down the stairs. Dani cautiously went down them avoiding the blood. Her heart began to pound against her chest as she walked down the hallway and towards the door to the room where they were held. I'm not scared. She kept telling herself. Her body was shaking and her knees starting to give out, but she pushed on. She slowly pushed the door open and looked around, her mind begging to forget what had happened. The chairs were still there, drips of blood in the middle of the room, and a big puddle of blood at the foot of the door. Dani let out a sob and dug her nails into her arm. She wasn't even sure what the point of coming here was, but she suddenly realized it was a mistake. 

She fell back against the wall in hysteria and sobbed. 

As the taxi pulled up Malcolm quickly paid the man and ran inside. "Dani? Dani?!" He quickly searched every room for her, before reaching the steps to the basement. Ignoring the blood he quickly walked down the stairs and down the hall, hearing soft sobs coming from the darkroom. 

Behind the door was Dani, shaking and sobbing, curled up against the floor. 

"Dani," Malcolm said softly sitting next to her. "I'm sorry." "Come here, " he said and Dani wrapped her arms around Malcolm, letting him hold her. 

Dani wasn't sure what happened next, but when she woke up she was no longer in the bungalow. In fact, she was in Malcolm's apartment. 

Dani sat up. She was on Malcolm's bed, a blanket wrapped tightly around her. She looked around, no one was there. She sat up from the bed and sighed. Whatever had happened in the past few hours were blurred, but just wanting to forget, she didn't try to remember. Dani stood up and stretched before something caught her eye. On the counter was an Earl Grey tea latte. She rolled her eyes and smiled knowingly. 

A few moments later the door opened up and in came Malcolm with 3 different lollipops in his mouth. "Osh yorv awafe," he said, through his mouthful of lollipops. "Awafe? No. But Awake. Yes," Dani said, lifting her eyebrows at him. "Oh," he said taking the lollipops out of his mouth. "It's much better this way. Trust me. Wanna try?" He asked, offering her the wet lollipops. She pursed her lips together and furrowed her brows. "I think I'll pass this time," she said. "Your loss," he shrugged. "Right," Dani laughed. She took a seat at the counter and Malcolm sat next to her and stared, making an analysis in his brain. "Um, could you not do that whole thing?" "What? Oh, right. Sorry. No analyzing Dani Powell," he made a mental note. After a few minutes of awkward silence, she finally said, "Um- I-I'm sorry for-you know. Earlier? I was um-" "Hysterical?" Malcolm cut in. Dani laughed. "Well, way to not beat around the bush. But sure. Hysterical." "It's fine. I would've done the same." "Gone back or be hysterical?" "Both." Dani chuckled. A few minutes later she finally asked, "You gave me blood, didn't you?" "Yeah. I did. How'd you find out?" "The bungalow. There was too much blood there for me too have survived without a transfusion."   
"You're learning from the best," he said with a smile. "Haha. Very funny Bright." She stood up and walked to the door. "I gotta go. I'll see you later, Bright," she said opening the door. "Oh, and hey," she said, turning back to him. "Thanks." Malcolm nodded and waved goodbye. When the door closed he huffed out a "STILL Bright?"


End file.
